(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a scanning device for use in axial transverse tomographic apparatus.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In an apparatus for performing axial transverse tomography, the scanning device equipped therein is arranged so that an X-ray source and its associated detector which are arranged to oppose each other with a subject for examination intervening therebetween are caused to make linear movement along a cross section of the subject, and that said X-ray source and said detector are caused to make limited revolutions through a predetermined angle for each linear movement thereof. Such axial transverse tomography having the scanning device described above has been used widely. The scanning device is arranged so that a support to which the X-ray source and the detector are secured is provided on a rotary member for allowing a linear movement of the support, so as to be operative in such way that, for each forward movement or backward movement of the support, the rotary member is caused to make limited revolutions through a certain angle at a time. Such scanning device, however, is entailed by the problem that, because of the difficulty of substantially increasing the speed of movement of the support, the time of examination or tomography tends to become prolonged as compared with other scanning devices.